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The British tinnitus Association (BTA) is a national charity that supports people living with tinnitus. This week, the BTA joined forces with the international tinnitus community to shine a light on tinnitus.

We are grateful to David Stockdale, Chief Executive of the BTA who spoke to Adam Shulberg about the deeper context of tinnitus, the myths surrounding it and management techniques and strategies to improve life quality.

David also shares some insight into recent studies that look at the societal costs of tinnitus and a recently published and promising study that explores mindfulness based cognitive therapy as a tool to help support people with tinnitus.

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THIS WEEK’S TIP: TINNITUS WEEK IS TAKING PLACE FROM 5-11 FEBRUARY 2018!

This week, Adam speaks to the Chief Executive of the British Tinnitus Association, David Stockdale about the impact of tinnitus, the incredible work of the British Tinnitus Association and the Tinnitus Week 2018 campaign.Read more…

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This guidance has been put together by the British Tinnitus Association to support GP’s who see tinnitus patients, to help them ensure that their patients get the best possible audiological care right from the outset.

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Tinnitus is a sound only heard by the individual experiencing it and is commonly described as a ringing, buzzing or humming in the ear.

People who experience tinnitus become more aware of it in quieter environments and during moments of downtime, such as bed time. The awareness of ringing in the brain can lead to an inability to relax or sleep which in turn promotes stress and high levels of anxiety at a time when rest is needed the most. Some people find that focusing their attention on external sounds helps them hear the tinnitus less.

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What is pulsatile tinnitus?

Tinnitus is a perception of sounds that is generated by the nervous system of the ear and brain in the absence of any external sound source. It is usually heard only by the individual experiencing tinnitus and is commonly described as a ringing in the ear, buzzing or humming. On the other hand, Pulsatile tinnitus is often described as a thumping or whooshing sound that has a like a rhythmic pulsing that is often in time with the person’s heartbeat. This is also referred to as vascular tinnitus as in many cases the cause is related to changes in blood flow.

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A recent study at the University of Illinois has looked further into the experience of tinnitus starting with the brain, looking more closely into how the brain processes emotions in two groups of people – those with tinnitus and those without.

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Here are a number of sound files which you can play to get an impression of what it is like to suffer from hearing loss and tinnitus.

By clicking on the sound files, people with normal hearing can get an impression of how music sounds for a hearing-impaired person. The first sound is at ‘normal level’ and the following sounds have been reduced in relation to the ‘normal level’.

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Imagine a world where the sound of ringing, humming, whistling or buzzing is more or less continuous: a world where the feeling you get in your ears the morning after a concert at Wembley Stadium lasts for ever. This is what 15 per cent of the world population experience on a daily basis as a result of tinnitus.